Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is a large Gothic abbey church in Westminster, London, England. It was founded in 960 on the site of the fisherman Aldrich's vision of Saint Peter on the River Thames, and King Edgar of England installed a community of Benedictine monks on the site. From 1042 to 1052, King Edward the Confessor began rebuilding "St. Peter's Abbey" to serve as his royal burial church, and it became the first Romanesque church in England. In 1066, William the Conqueror became the first King of England to be crowned at Westminster Abbey, and the coronation of English and British monarchs at Westminster Abbey became tradition for over a millennium. It was rebuilt in the Gothic style during the 13th century, and it was rebuilt again in 1517. In 1539, the Benedictines were expelled during the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII, and it served as a cathedral from 1540 to 1556. After 1560, it was no longer an abbey or a cathedral, instead becoming a church responsible directly to the sovereign. The 3,300 burials at the church included those of 16 monarchs and 8 prime ministers.